If Ron Had Never Been Born
by I-Confuse-Everyone
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and Ron is wishing he'd never been born. When he wishes it upon the star of Sirius, it comes true. What is the world like without Ronald Weasley? Loosley based on 'It's a Wonderful Life. COMPLETE
1. Ron's Mind

Disclaimer- Not mine! Belongs to our God- J.K Rowling!

A/N: OK, this isn't my idea; it belongs to some other writer. However, this other writer hasn't updated since the year 2000, so I kind of figured I'd have a shot at it... Hope you enjoy and please review!

Ron's mind.

It was Christmas Eve. Ron Weasley sat, crouched up, on his bed, with his arms clasped tightly around his knees. It was dark in the dormitory, with moonlight shining clearly through a window. He was all alone in the room- all his friends and family were downstairs enjoying the Butterbeer Fred, George and Harry had smuggled in. Ron sighed and started to rock slightly from side to side. 'Nobody gave a damn about him. He was just poor little Ronniekins, who everybody forgot about. Harry and Hermione were just his friends out of sympathy and his siblings spoke to him just because it was their duty'.

The door suddenly swung open and Harry strode into the room.

"Come on, Ron! Where are you? It's mad down there. Come on down and enjoy yourself!" he cried,

"Nah, I'm ok up here thanks, Harry," replied Ron,

"Aw come on. It's not good for you to be up here all by yourself!" sighed Harry, crossing his arms.

"I don't care. As I said, I'm fine up here," said Ron, angrily,

"Fine, suit yourself," said Harry, stomping out of the room.

Ron sighed. Harry was certainly in a mood with him now. Sometimes, he wished he hadn't been born.

Suddenly something caught his eye. He turned his head and stared out of the window. There was a bright light out there. Ron got up and walked slowly over to the window. He pressed his nose against it and looked at the bright, white star. It was the star Sirius. After Sirius had died last June, Harry had gone through a patch where he had suddenly got into astrology and every night during the summer holidays, Harry had made Ron come out and search the skies for the star Sirius. Therefore, Ron knew exactly what the star Sirius looked like.

Outside, Sirius winked and almost seemed the beckon. It appeared to be getting brighter and brighter, until Ron had to screw his eyes up at the glare. Unexpectedly, Ron heard a silvery quiet voice on the breeze. "_Make a wish on me, Ron"_

He blinked, startled. Had he really heard that?

"_You're not hearing things. Make a wish on me, Ronald Weasley. Make a wish on me!"_

'I will,' thought Ron, 'and I know exactly what I want to wish for'.

"I wish," said Ronald Weasley, to the dark and silent dormitory, "I wish that I had never been born!"


	2. Back from the Dead

Disclaimer- Not mine! Belongs to our God- J.K Rowling!

Author Note: Many thanks to ObsessivePerfectionist (great name!), Jypp, BlackRoseGirl and merlindamage for the reviews. I'm happy now. I took the advice on capitals by the way. OK, here's the next chapter and hopefully it should be longer!

Back From The Dead

A strong breeze blew through the dormitory, knocking Ron backwards on the floor. He closed his eyes as the glare got brighter and brighter. The wind still blew strongly through the room and he gradually put his arms over his head and curled up into the foetal position. The light became blinding and the breeze made things fall off the bedside tables, crashing to the floor. Ron whimpered, as the room began vibrating. He was thrown onto his bed by an invisible force: the curtains fluttering madly. Suddenly, everything was still and it was suddenly day light. Ron looked up amazed. He was still in the dormitory but it seemed different somehow. He had a vague recollection of it being like this sometime before, but he was confused about when.

The door opened and Harry entered; his figure a look of misery.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Ron, cautiously.

Harry didn't reply. He just sat heavily down on his bed and drew the curtains.

"Harry, are you still mad at me, 'cause I was just in a bad mood," said Ron, standing up.

There was still no answer from Harry. "Err, fine. I'll talk to you later then," said Ron.

He made his way to the door and tried to grasp the door handle. However, his hand just slid through.

"What's going on?" asked Ron, trying to grab the door handle again. His hand slid through once again. Ron took a step backwards, bewildered. Maybe Fred or George had put a spell on it? He took another look around the room, once more noticing the changes. There weren't any of the usual posters up on the wall and all of the trunks were smaller.

"Hang on!" thought Ron, "Where's my trunk? There's only four trunks there. What on earths going on?"

The door flew open again and Dean charged in. He didn't even look at Ron, as he passed and made straight for his trunk.

"Oi, Harry. Are you moping in here again, dude?" he called,

"So what if I am?" said Harry,

"Why don't you come downstairs? Hermione told me to tell you that she's found out who Nicolas Flamel is- if that means anything to you!" said Dean, standing up and heading out of the door. Harry's curtains flew open and he ran out of the open door and down the stairs. Ron's mouth was open in surprise. Not only had neither of the boys noticed him standing there like a dummy, but both Harry and Dean looked so much younger. In fact, they looked like they were eleven again!

"But they can't be eleven," said Ron, aloud, "They were fifteen when I saw them last!"

"You've cracked it," said a familiar voice.

Ron spun around and his mouth fell open again. "_Sirius_?" he croaked, "But you're dead!"

"I am," said Sirius, "but I am a ghost at the minute to act as your, hmm how shall I phrase it, _godfather_?"

"You're _Harry's_ godfather," said Ron, "Not mine,"

"Alright then, I suppose you could call me your..." Sirius grimaced, "_fairy _godfather?"

Ron snorted in amusement. "I've never seen any person less like a fairy!"

Sirius frowned in mock annoyance. "But I'm such a dainty person!" he complained, his eyes twinkling.

Ron laughed and then stopped as a sudden thought occurred to him. "But anyway, why are you my fairy godfather? And, where the hell am I?"

"You're in your dormitory," said Sirius, smirking, "It doesn't take a genius to work that out!"

"Oh shut up and explain!" said Ron, flushing.

"OK, "said Sirius, suddenly business like and seating himself on the end of Harry's bed. Ron sat on his bed.

"You wished to my star- the star of Sirius- that you had never been born, am I correct?" asked Sirius,

"Yes," said Ron, frowning. His expression cleared. "It was _your_ voice I heard telling me to wish!"

"Yes," said Sirius, "And 'cause you wished such a powerful wish- to remove a person from life- on my star, I had to come to Earth as a ghost and act as your guidance counselor,"

"Yeah, but I wished I'd never been born. As I far as I know, I'm still alive! Although, I'm not quite sure about why Dean and Harry both ignored me, why everything and everyone looks different and why I couldn't open the door!" said Ron, scratching his head.

"Ron, at the present moment, you _have _never been born. Nobody out there knows you exist- that is why they couldn't see you. As your wish was so powerful, I was required to make absolutely certain you were sure about this as it is irreversible," explained Sirius,

"I am certain. Nobody cares about me. They all use me and are friends with me out of sympathy," said Ron, sadly,

"Ron, that's completely untrue. In the short time I knew Harry, he thought of you as the best friend anyone could have. He was honored to have you as a friend!" said Sirius,

"What do you know? You were never there. You were always in hiding or in a bad mood and then you got killed. You don't know anything about anything!" yelled Ron, his rage over everything exploding.

Sirius went white and stared at his clasped hands. "It wasn't always my fault that I was never there," he said, deathly quiet," "Sometimes, I felt as if I would sacrifice the Order's location just to get out and see how you guys were doing."

Ron slumped to the ground. "I'm sorry," he said, quietly, "All my depression and rage just got too much. It's not your fault,"

"S'ok, Ron," said Sirius, "It's not your fault either. Now, where were we?"

"That's what I want to know," Ron said, "Where exactly we are in time."

"In your first year," Sirius answered, "But, of course, you aren't there as you have not been born,"

"So?" muttered Ron, "I bet they have party's everyday!"

"Don't be so sure," said Sirius, "I'm going to show you your friends and family without a Ron Weasley in their lives. Come, Ron. Let me show you."


	3. The Philosopher's Stone

_Disclaimer- Nothing that you might recognise belongs to me- mores the pity!_

_A/N: Oh my God. Thanks to the 25 people that have reviewed my story so far. I've _never _had so many reviews before. I won't write the names down 'because I'm sure you want to read more of the tale but many thanks to you if you reviewed and thank you in advance to the next lot of reviewers!_

The Philosopher's Stone

"_Come, Ron. Let me show you."_

Sirius led Ron out of the dormitory, through the open door and down the stairs to the common room. It looked exactly as Ron remembered it, but as he passed the notice board, the notices were out of date to his time. They gave the latest Quidditch results and the requests for lost property included the elegant quill that Hermione had received for her eleventh birthday from her parents. She had lost it during the Christmas holidays in their first year. Ron frowned as he saw it. Nobody in the busy common room looked up as a full grown man and a teenage boy walked straight through their midst, which Ron found quite discomforting.

Sirius and Ron left the warm, bubbling common room and entered the dark, cold corridors. Ron shivered involuntarily and asked in a small voice; "Where are we going?"

"To the third floor," replied Sirius, "Harry and Hermione should have gone up there already,"

"This is a replay of my first year," pondered Ron, "And by the sounds of the conversation Dean and Harry had, they have only just found out who Nicolas Flamel is!"

"So?" said Sirius, as they climbed down a stair case to the fifth floor,

"We found out who Nicolas Flamel was just after Christmas," explained Ron, rubbing his nose, "We didn't go after the Philosopher's Stone until about May,"

"Ron, as you haven't been born, things happened differently. Harry and Hermione might have just found things out sooner," said Sirius,

"Well, that's just another reason why I should never have been born," said Ron, dismally. Sirius sighed and they continued on their way.

Very shortly, they had reached the third floor. Sirius steered Ron closer and closer to the door until they had passed straight through it. Ron gasped and turned to look at the solid door.

"Ron, you're effectively a ghost. Therefore, you can walk through solid walls and door," said Sirius, who was searching the corridor, "It looks like Harry and Hermione have already gone down. Come on!"

Ron glanced nervously at Fluffy. However, the huge three- headed dog didn't appear to have noticed anything, or rather anybody. Still, Ron walked rather cautiously past Fluffy and leapt down the trapdoor after Sirius. He didn't fall as fast as he expected and sort of floated to the ground. '_This is weird!_' he thought as he floated gently towards the green plant below where Sirius was patiently waiting.

"Look!" said Sirius, pointing to a spot about five metres away. Ron saw Harry and Hermione submerged in the Devil's Snare. He listened as they spoke to one another.

"_We must be miles under the school," Hermione said,_

"_Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Harry,_

"_Lucky!" Hermione shrieked, "Look at you!"_

_She leapt up and struggled towards a damp wall, where Ron and Sirius were standing. Ron moved swiftly out of her way as she kicked at the snakelike tendrils that had begun to twist around her ankles. _

"_Stop moving, Harry!" ordered Hermione, who was observing in horror, "I know what this is- it's Devil's Snare!"_

"_Oh, I'm so glad you know what it's called, that's a great help!" snarled Harry._

"I said that," whispered Ron, as he observed Harry leaning back and trying to stop the plant curling around his neck.

"_Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione,_

"_Well hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, _

"I remember how horrible it was," said Ron, who was nervously watching,

"_Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare... what did Professor Sprout say?- it likes the dark and the damp-"_

"_So light a fire!" Harry choked,_

"_Yes- of course- but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands,_

Ron cringed. "This is when I yelled something like- 'have you gone mad- are you a witch or not!'"

Sirius chuckled.

"Well, I hope because you're not there, my godson isn't about to die because there's no-one to tell her what to do!"

"I hadn't thought of that," admitted Ron, "but I'm sure Harry says it!"

"_Help Hermione! It's suffocating me!" cried Harry, as the tendrils managed to twist their way around his neck._

_Hermione cursed. "I wish there was someone else here to help us- with a rational head. I don't know what to do!"_

"_Light a fire!" said Harry, hoarsely, "You're a witch aren't you?"_

"_Oh of course!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of bluebell flames at the Devil's Snare. _

Ron breathed a sigh of relief as he witnessed the deadly plant moving away from the warmth. "That was close!" he gasped,

"You heard Hermione," said Sirius, quietly, "She wished there was someone with a rational head on his shoulders- that means someone like you,"

"There are loads of other people with rational heads on their shoulders!" argued Ron,

"But no one quite like you," said Sirius.

Ron sighed. "Did they manage to get the Philosopher's Stone, ok?" he asked,

"Let's go and see."

Sirius took Ron's shoulder again and the dark, damp walls around them appeared to be whizzing past. When it stopped, Ron noticed they were in a dark chamber. He heard a door opening and two pairs of hurrying feet and then a door slamming. Suddenly, the chamber was flooded with light. They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry and Hermione stood next to them: an expression of utmost dismay on their faces.

"_Harry, we cant go on," said Hermione, tearfully, "It looks like we have to play our way across and neither of us can play chess!"_

"_Ah no!" sighed Harry, "Damn it. I wish we had someone who was really good at chess and who could have taught us!"_

"_Yeah," said Hermione, "What are we going to do?"_

"_Go back, I suppose," said Harry, shaking his head, "And see if we can alert Dumbledore or somebody before Snape comes back!"_

"_OK, come on. There's no time to loose!"_

"Oh," said Ron, quietly,

"You see! If you hadn't been born, look what would have happened!" said Sirius,

"Did Voldemort get the stone in the end, then?" asked Ron,

"No. Voldemort would never have been able to get the stone out of the mirror of Erised because of the simple fact that he wanted to use it. Did Harry never tell you what Dumbledore said about why he got it out?"

"Oh yes. Well, then. Even though Harry and Hermione weren't successful, nothing happened because Voldemort didn't get the stone!"

Sirius sighed sadly. "You still believe the world would be a better place without you?" he asked,

"Yes!" said Ron, defiantly,

"I will show you more then. Let us go and pay a little visit to the Chamber of Secrets!"


	4. The Chamber of Secrets

**_Disclaimer- Everything you might recognise belongs to this lady who is richer than the Queen of England and writes these fantastic novels that people love. (In other words, it isn't me)_**

_**A/N- Thank you for the reviews. They were greatly appreciated. :D**_

The Chamber of Secrets

"_I will show you more then. Let us go and pay a little visit to the Chamber of Secrets!" _

Ron felt his feet lift the ground and he and Sirius were swept away in a whirlwind. Ron yelled out and flailed his limbs around, accidentally kicking Sirius in the process. As the two of them hit solid ground again, he apologised to Sirius.

"It's alright, Ron. I didn't feel it!" chuckled Sirius. Ron flushed and looked around at his new surroundings. He recognised it immediately. They were situated just by the magical barrier onto Platform nine and three quarters, where many teenage children and their parents slid cautiously though into the magical world. Behind them, a Virgin train screeched to a halt at the next platform. The station was full of chatter, banging and the hum of trains arriving and departing. Ron looked around in wonder at the many Muggle things he could see. His glance passed over the big clock on the wall. It read 10:55. All of a sudden, a loud clatter reached his ears and he swung his head, uttering a soft gasp of surprise. His immediate family were speeding towards them, clutching run away trolleys containing trunks, broomsticks and owl cages. Ron watched his family in quiet sadness, although he didn't quite know why.

As his family passed quickly through the barrier, Ron remembered what had happened in his second year: when he and Harry hadn't been able to get through the barrier and had had to fly Mr Weasely's car to Hogwarts. They had both got into heaps of trouble but the flight and attention afterwards had been worth it. He smiled at his memories.

'Actually where _is _Harry?' thought Ron. He turned to Sirius, who had been casually observing the trains all the time. "Sirius? Where's Harry?"

"He's coming. Obviously he wasn't with your family because he isn't friends with you. Instead, he's spent the entire summer at his aunt and uncles, being picked on!" said Sirius, humourlessly.

Ron squirmed uncomfortably and bit his lip. He looked up and saw Harry, quickly hurrying towards them. Ron grinned in welcome, forgetting Harry couldn't see him.

Harry glanced anxiously at the time and put on a spurt of speed. Ron held his breath and Harry inched nearer and nearer to the barrier. BANG! Harry crashed against the sealed barrier and his trolley slammed into a nearby wall.

Ron and Sirius jumped, as did the other twenty people currently passing by. Harry lay on the floor, his glasses crooked and his face red. Sirius began to crack up. Ron spun furiously around.

"_Don't_ laugh!" he said, his eyes flashing

"I'm sorry," chuckled Sirius, "It was just funny!"

Ron frowned and turned back to Harry, watching as an embarrassed Harry shakily stood up and collected together his things. He glanced anxiously at the time and began to push against the barrier, despite the numerous Muggles staring at him. He gave a large sigh of defeat as the clock struck eleven, bit his quivering lip and slowly turned around and began to head out of the station.

"Where's he going?" asked Ron,

"You'll see," answered Sirius, leading the way through the busy crowds. Once they were outside the station, Ron saw Harry frantically scribbling on a piece of parchment with a white quill. He whistled and a snowy white owl flew to his arm. Ron recognised it as Hedwig.

"Here girl. Take this to Hogwarts. I've missed the train and I don't understand why. See you later, Hedwig," Harry said, as the owl flew off.

Sirius placed his hand on Ron's shoulder and he felt as if he'd just grasped a Portkey, with a slight tug behind his navel. When he opened his eyes again, he saw he was in a very dark place.

"Where are we?" he asked. His words echoed off the walls.

"Lumos," whispered Sirius. In the new light, Ron saw they were in a cavernous place with bones on the floor. It looked horribly like:

"The Chamber of Secrets," confirmed Sirius, "I've never been here before though. Even though we were Marauders, we never found the Chamber of Secrets,"

"So that's why it wasn't on the Marauder's Map," said Ron, "We checked in third year!"

"You'll have to get Moony to amend it," laughed Sirius, "So the future Marauder's can see where it is, even though they cannot visit it unless they can speak Parseltongue!"

"I can't. I'm dead," said Ron, somewhat gloomily,

"If you choose to be," reminded Sirius, "Now, where were we. Ah yes. Harry and that fool Lockhart should be arriving any minute…now!"

As he spoke, there came a whoosh and Gilderoy Lockhart appeared on the tunnel floor. Seconds later, a pale and withdrawn Harry Potter appeared.

"We must be miles under the school," Harry said, "Under the lake probably. Look at the wet walls!"

"Erm, yes. I do suppose you are right," quavered Lockhart,

"Lumos!" said Harry, "C'mon!"

Ron and Sirius followed the duo for a short time until suddenly Harry stopped still.

"There's something up there…" Harry said, hoarsely, "Maybe it's sleeping?"

Lockhart had pressed his hands firmly over his eyes, at Harry's words.

"C'mon," said Harry, again, "Let's go slowly."

The foursome walked towards the unidentifiable thing. Ron noticed Sirius was shaking, with the tension. He suppressed a smirk, as he knew what it was.

"Blimey!" breathed Harry, staring at the massive skin on the floor.

"That is quite big," agreed Lockhart, "Maybe if I take it back up to the castle, I can use it as evidence. Ah, I see the book title now '_Skinning the Success_!'"

"Ah, shut up, you!" growled Harry, "All you ever did was a pack of lies!"

Lockhart fell silent again and they continued up the tunnel.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a large stone wall. Harry looked at it for a while, noticing two entwined serpents carved on the rock. Ron saw their eyes were made up of great, glinting emeralds, which looked strangely lifelike. Harry cleared his throat and hissed out some words in Parseltongue, which neither Ron nor Sirius understood. They watched with bated breath as the wall slid open.

Inside, there was a very long, dimly lit chamber with towering stone pillars entwined with more carved snakes. There was an odd greenish glow in the air, which Ron and Sirius noticed as they followed Harry and Lockhart down the long chamber. Finally, as they reached the bottom, Harry suddenly sprinted forward and bent down over a small shape. Ron gasped as he saw it was Ginny. Lockhart stood still with his eyes peeping through slits between his fingers.

"Ginny! Don't be dead! Please don't be dead! Please wake up, Ginny!" Harry gasped,

"She won't wake."

Everybody present, whether alive or not, jumped and turned to stare at the boy who had just materialised.

"Tom- _Tom Riddle_?"

Riddle nodded, and continued to stare straight at Harry. "She's still alive, but only just,"

"Then you've got to help me. There could be a Basilisk coming. We need to get her… and me out of here!"

Ron's blood began to boil as he heard Riddle give a long and cold laugh. "It won't come until it's called."

Ron and Sirius began to listen intently as Riddle started to explain about Ginny and the diary and who had been petrifying the Muggleborns. They were both astonished. Sirius because he had never completely heard the tale before and Ron because he hadn't heard everything. He was also angry at how mockingly Riddle spoke about his baby sister.

'_Next time I see Ginny, I am going to give her the biggest hug she's ever had in her life!'_ he thought, as the tale came to an end and Riddle stood tall over Harry, with a twisted smile on his face.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him. Oh, and I mustn't forget his Defence Against the Dark Arts _teacher_!" he said, sniggering slightly, towards the end. Everybody watched as he walked towards the stone face of Slytherin. Riddle opened his mouth and hissed in Parseltongue: 'Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four'. The gigantic face began to move with the mouth opening wider and wider until it resembled a huge black hole, where something appeared to be moving.

"Professor! Run and keep your eyes closed!" shouted Harry, "It's your only chance!" He himself began to run with his eyes closed and his hands outstretched. Sirius and Ron hastily made their way to the side of the chamber, where they hoped they would be out of danger.

The battle commenced quickly, with Harry stumbling over. Sirius and Ron both shouted out, when the Basilisk was poised over Harry, ready to strike. To their immense relief, Fawkes the Phoenix managed to blind it. Harry quickly got up, after seeing it was blinded, and scurried away towards where the Sorting Hat, that Fawkes had bought, was lying.

Meanwhile, Lockhart was stumbling away with his eyes tightly closed. Ron watched in horror as he unknowingly ran straight towards the monster.

"No! Professor!" Harry roared, upon seeing what was happening. "Turn around! You're running straight at it!"

Everybody, except Riddle, watched in horror, as the beast twitched its huge nostrils and with one fell swoop dived down onto Lockhart.

"No!!!!" screamed Harry, "No!" Furious, he pulled the Gryffindor sword out of the Sorting Hat and ran at the Basilisk. There was blood dripping out of its mouth. Harry gritted his teeth and as the creature swooped down on him, he quickly dodged to one side and thrust the sword up through the Basilisk's mouth. It began to make a long high pitched noise and swayed around until finally thumping down onto the bone scattered floor. It was dead.

"Come, Ron," said Sirius, "We have much to do. Can you see that because you were there, you, in effect, managed to save a man's life?"

"Where's Hermione?" asked Ron, frowning,

"In the hospital wing. Remember she got petrified," explained Sirius, as the scene in front of them faded away.

"Oh. Where are we going next?" asked Ron, his mind overflowing with thoughts,

"Your third year. The year in which the so-called murderer, Sirius Black, makes a return."


	5. The Prisoner of Azkaban

**Hey there. Now it's the holidays, at last, I can update more often! OK, here's the next chapter and please R&R! (By the way, anything you recognise from the Harry Potter books doesn't belong to me. Got it? Good!)**

"_Your third year. The year in which the so-called murderer, Sirius Black, makes a return."_

The blood red sun was slowly setting over the Hogwarts grounds when Sirius and Ron appeared. There were standing facing Hagrid's pumpkin patch, where Buckbeak was standing silently with his head down. The back door abruptly opened and Harry stumbled outside, closely followed by Hermione.

"Yeh gotta go," Hagrid said, "They mustn' find yeh here...go on, now…"

"Hagrid, we can't-"

"We'll tell them what really happened-"

"They can't kill him-"

"Go you two!" Harry said fiercely, "it's bad enough without you two in trouble an' all!"

Harry and Hermione sighed in dismay and threw the Invisibility Cloak over them both. Strangely enough, Sirius and Ron could still see them. They watched as the duo scrambled away, as fast as the cloak would permit them. Throwing a last glance at the broken Hagrid, Sirius and Ron followed them towards Hogwarts.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Harry suddenly cried out,

"What?" asked Hermione, "Please can we go? I don't want to hear…"

"It's Scabbers!" exclaimed Harry, reaching down to the grass,

"Scabbers?" said Hermione, blankly, "Ginny's pet rat?"

"Yeah! She was in tears the other day 'cause she'd lost him. Let's take him back to her. She'll be so pleased!"

"OK," agreed Hermione, and they began to make their way to the castle one again.

Another twenty paces or so, Harry and Hermione came to a sudden halt again.

"Oh please Harry!" Hermione begged, "Let's go!"

"It's Scabbers- he won't- stay put-". Harry was bent over, trying to stop Scabbers from escaping but the rat was going berserk. "Come on, Scabbers! Arghh!"

"What?" asked Hermione, anxiously, her fingers in her mouth,

"He bit me! Scabbers bit me!" said Harry, loudly,

"Shh!" hissed Hermione, "They'll hear us!"

"Ah no!" groaned Harry, as Scabbers slipped through his fingers and ran away through the tall green grass. "We have to get him!"

"Harry- I really don't think…" began Hermione, before she was dragged after Harry.

They sprinted towards the Forbidden Forest: their hearts thudding wildly. Then the rat made a sudden detour and charged to the Whomping Willow, who looked particularly violent this evening.

"Oh no!" breathed Harry, Hermione and Ron.

Sirius looked every so slightly amused. After all, he knew that Scabbers- or Wormtail as he knew him- would freeze the tree. Ron hadn't seen the tree stopping moving originally because Sirius had already dragged him into the tunnel.

Everybody watched as the rat snuck under the flailing branches of the Whomping Willow and gently pressed the knot. The tree froze immediately. Harry sighed in relief and darted forward to catch Scabbers. Unfortunately, Scabbers scampered into the tunnel and disappeared with a flick of his worm like tail.

"We have to go in after him!" said Harry,

"But... the suns setting! Its past curfew! We shouldn't be out here!" said Hermione, anxiously, peering around as if she imagined a teacher would suddenly appear out of the shadows and clap them into detention.

"Ginny would never forgive me if she found out!" exclaimed Harry,

"You don't even know Ginny!" shot back Hermione, "She's just the red haired girl in the year below us!"

"I'm going in!" said Harry, "Before this stupid tree starts moving again!"

He crouched down and crawled into the tight space leading down into the tunnel. Hermione groaned and followed him, casting nervous looks over her shoulder from time to time. In ten seconds, both Harry and Hermione were gone.

"I can't believe they don't know my sister!" raged Ron, "They get on really well with her normally!"

"Well you introduced them to her!" said Sirius, "And obviously because you're dead…"

"Alright, alright!" said Ron, "Are we going after them?"

"No," answered Sirius, simply.

Ron didn't even bother to reply. Sirius' tone had made the conversation seem final. The sun cast its last few rays over the lake, before finally sinking in the far distance. A chilly wind set in and the branches on the Whomping Willow began creaking, as they regained movement. Nothing was exchanged between the two ghosts, apart from a brief conversation of what might be happening inside the Shrieking Shack.

About fifteen minutes later, the tree suddenly froze again and Sirius and Ron watched as Harry and Hermione clambered out. Harry was clutching Scabbers.

"Erm, where are you and Professor Lupin and Snape?" asked Ron, confused,

"Well, because I didn't know that you had Wormtail so I didn't come after you, did I?" explained Sirius,

"But Harry said Ginny had Scabbers! So wouldn't you have seen him with Ginny on the Daily Prophet?" said Ron,

"No. I believe Ginny had left Wormtail in the hotel room 'cause he was ill. Ron, do you realise that because you weren't born, I am now stuck in Azkaban for life and Harry never knows about Wormtail?" said Sirius,

"Oh," was all Ron said, "Oh."


	6. The Goblet of Fire

**Thanks for the reviews, even though there weren't that many (sad face). This chapter is going to be fairly short, as there is only one thing that Sirius and Ron go to see. Tell me if you have any ideas of problems Harry and Hermione could face if Ron had never been born. Thanks.**

**This chapter is dedicated to my good friends Ant and Nicole. Big hugs!**

**The Goblet of Fire**

When Ron next opened his eyes, he was standing next to the lake. It was an icy grey, almost identical to the sky. A strong wind blew, bringing goose-bumps to Ron's skin.

Slowly, he heard a great deal of cheering and chattering. He turned around and saw huge stands, similar to the Quidditch stands, surrounding one side of the lake. Standing just to the side of them was a table with three or four people sitting behind it, professionally. A small cluster of people stood slightly in front of them. Ron noticed three of them were slightly smaller than the others and were not wearing a lot. In fact one of them was only wearing bathing trunks.

"Err, where are we?" asked Ron, shivering slightly,

"Don't you know?" asked Sirius, surprised, "We're at the second trial of the Triwizard Tournament!"

"Oh," said Ron, comprehending, "At this point, I was unconscious at the bottom of the lake… Err, hang on! Where's Harry?"

"You'll see," was all Sirius would say.

The minutes ticked by and the crowd grew steadily restless. Many were seen checking their watches. Finally, a hunched up figure came into view. It was Harry. Ron watched as one of the figures- it looked like Dumbledore- went up to him and exchanged a few words with him. Harry nodded mutely and turned and headed back to the castle. Dumbledore conversed with the other figures for a minute, until a whistle was blown and Ludo Bagman began to speak to the crowd.

"Hello and welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament! Three out of our four champions are ready to compete and gain those all important points! Now, you may be wondering: where is our youngest champion, Mister Harry Potter? Well, due to him not fulfilling the terms of this trial, he has forfeited…"

Draco Malfoy yelled out above Bagman's voice, "He means Potter has no one that he would miss. What a _looser_!" Malfoy had overheard Cedric Diggory telling his friends about the next task and knew what it would entail.

Immediately, the jeers and cat calls started out from the crowd. Many of them made the looser sign with the fingers at the retreating back of Harry Potter. Ron felt his blood boil at their treatment of Harry. He felt as if he could go up and smack each of those idiots. He growled under his breath and balled his hands into fists. He suddenly realised how much he loved Harry as a friend.

Suddenly, the scene disappeared and Sirius and Ron were standing back in the Gryffindor dormitory, where they had started. Ron stared at Sirius.

"Well?" Sirius asked,

"What?" asked Ron, harshly,

"Do you still wish you were never born?"

"Yes!" insisted Ron, red in the face, "I wish I had never been born!"

"Even after all the things you've seen and how everything has more or less gone wrong because you weren't there to help?" said Sirius,

"Yes! Look, I'm only Ron Weasley. I have six siblings and my best friend is a celebrity in the Wizarding World. Therefore I am a _nobody_! Do you get it?" exclaimed Ron,

"You're not a nobody! You are a unique person. I mean if you weren't born then there would only be six Weasley children. Think how terrible that would be!" argued Sirius,

"I don't care what you say, I am not going to change my mind," said Ron, obstinately,

"Whatever you say, Ron, you know in your heart of hearts that you are born and I am going to prove that to you!"


	7. The Weasley's Christmas

**Thanks for all the reviews. They are greatly appreciated. Here's the next chapter (no kidding!) Read and Review please, I'd love you forever :D**

_**The Weasley's Christmas**_

"_We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!"_

Sirius and Ron listened intently as the carolling Muggles turned the snow covered corner and disappeared from sight. Ron sighed.

"They come every Christmas and I never get tired of hearing them," he muttered, still staring at the corner. "It's like a tradition with us. We always watch the carollers. It was me that invented it!"

"I take it that's why your family haven't come out this year then," said Sirius, gesturing to the empty lane.

Ron frowned and dashed to the kitchen window of The Burrow. He pressed his nose right against the window but his breath left no mark on the frost bitten glass. Inside, he could see his family going about the Christmas Eve traditions that he always loved to help do.

Ginny was smiling as she helped her mother decorate the tree, along with Charlie. Although they could use magic, the Weasley's preferred to put up their decorations by hand. The wireless was playing Muggle Christmas carols in the background and everybody seemed happy. Outside, Ron leant in even further as if he was trying to inhale the scene. Bill was chuckling with his father as they hung up holly and ivy along the ceiling and decorating the cupboards. Fred and George were smirking evilly as they levitated mistletoe above their parent's heads. Molly and Arthur just smiled at each other and planted a soft kiss on their spouse's lips. Ron watched with a smile as he observed the festivities, but suddenly his smile turned upside down. _Where is Percy? _Ron turned to look at Sirius, who simply pointed up to the second floor of The Burrow.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" muttered Sirius, pointing his wand at Ron.

Ron felt himself rise slowly until he reached the level of the second floor. Then, he floated gently as he peered through the window into the gloom that lay inside. Percy was lying on his bed with his nose stuck in an enormous book, with a frown on his face.

Ron frowned. Percy usually helped with the Christmas decorations! What was going on? Ron watched as Percy stood up and stretched and then headed out of the door and down the creaking stairs.

"Let me down, Sirius!" he hissed. He heard Sirius take off the spell and he fell back to earth with a _flump_!

"Owww!" he groaned, getting up, "What was that for?"

Sirius grinned. "For not being polite! Lucky, I placed a Cushioning Charm on the ground first hey?"

Ron smiled sarcastically. "Oh and I am _so _grateful!" He suddenly remembered his mission and scrambled over to the kitchen window. Suddenly, he passed straight through it and was actually inside the kitchen.

"Mother, can I help?" Percy asked,

"No, thank you. There isn't enough for one person left to do. You would need another person to help and everybody is occupied. Thanks anyway, dear." Molly Weasley smiled warmly at her red headed son.

"Oh, alright. I'll just sit here and watch until somebody is free, then," said Percy, sadly.

Ron turned away and walked back through the wall.

"That's never happened before," he said, sadly, "Everybody has an assigned job and partner."

Sirius stayed silent as he observed the look on Ron's face. He could tell that Ron was thinking the whole thing through and hoped he would come to the right decision. He decided that he would just be sure first.

"Ron?" he ventured after a long silence, "I'm going to show you your best friends without you."

**OK, I know it's short so sorry but I'm mega busy with it being the week before Christmas and all that! Please read and review!**


	8. Harry and Hermione

**Ooooh! The penultimate chapter! Just to let you know I'm currently posting another fic called 'A Marauder's Christmas'- check it out! By the way, this is HulaHomer but I have changed my name to I-Confuse-Everyone (because I do!)**

_Harry and Hermione_

When Ron next opened his eyes, they were back in the Gryffindor Boy's dormitory. It was all dark and large shadows loomed in the corners. Suddenly, the door flew open and Harry flew in, closely followed by Neville. Harry threw himself on his bed, lying on his back and Neville sat peacefully on the next bed across. Both boys were chuckling merrily.

"That was funny!" laughed Neville, as he recalled the Christmas prank they had just played on some Slytherins.

"Yeah," smirked Harry, "I should hang out with you more, Neville. It's not the same as hanging out with Hermione!"

"Yeah, I know, mate," said Neville, "I'm sure Seamus and Dean would let you join in!"

"I don't know, Neville. Seamus is acting a bit…odd this year," said Harry, scratching his head,

"Well you know, like he said at the beginning of the year, his moms got some issues with you and all that," said Neville, uncomfortably,

"Yeah, I know," sighed Harry, "I just wish that we could all be friends,"

"Well maybe when Fudge finally realises that You-Know-Who is back then we can all be friends!" said Neville,

"Yeah," sighed Harry, again, "Talk to you later Neville."

Neville stood up and walked swiftly out of the dormitory, leaving Harry on his own.

"I do wish," said Harry, aloud, "that I had a close friend who was male. Somehow, it's just not as much fun having a girl as your best friend."

The scene dissolved away and Ron and Sirius found themselves in the back of the library. The air was sprinkled with dust and it smelt musty, as libraries often do. Ron suddenly heard a voice, speaking softly.

"Hermione, you're going to have to leave now. The library is closed,"

"Alright, Madam Pince. Will it be open tomorrow?"

"Yes, of course, dear. Goodnight."

A figure stood up and walked out of the library. Another figure stretched and extinguished the lamps with a flick of their wand. Then, they walked slowly out of the library and locked the door behind them.

"Erm, what are we meant to be seeing?" asked Ron,

"Just take a look around," said Sirius, mysteriously.

Ron wandered over to where Hermione and Madam Pince were minutes ago. Lying on the table was a small black book. Ron picked it open and flipped it open onto the first page.

"_Dear Diary. Well, I'm here again at Hogwarts in my fifth year- OWLs year. I'm looking forward to it…"_

The entry went on and on but Ron didn't read it. He flushed thinking he was snooping on his friend's private thoughts. "I can't read this!" said Ron, "It's Hermione's diary!"

There was no response. Ron turned around and Sirius had gone. He sighed and dropped the diary back on the table. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the library, causing dust to rise and the diary to open on the page of December 24th. Ron bent his head and looked at what was written there.

"_Dear Diary. Its Christmas Eve today and I guess I'm looking forward to Christmas tomorrow. I just wish that I had somebody close to celebrate it with. I don't mean Harry. Of course, I love Harry, but as a friend and I'll enjoy celebrating Christmas with him. I just wish I had something like a boyfriend, who I would love and he would love me back and care for me. I'd like him to be tall and slim and be funny to make me laugh. Harry is too serious sometimes but of course with his past, he has to be serious. A boyfriend who's a good friend and loyal would be excellent and I really like blue eyes, although I'm not really that bothered. But, I have to face it. Who'd want to go out with a Mudblood like me?"_

Ron smiled sadly as he finished reading: his blue eyes widening as he read the last line. His private thoughts knew that he really like Hermione, more than a friend. He just never had the courage to ask her out. Maybe Sirius was right. Maybe it would be better if he had been born.

"Sirius?" he called, "Sirius?"

There was no reply.

"Sirius? I've changed my mind. I wish I had been born. I wish I was alive to enjoy Christmas with my best friends and family."

**Please read and review. It would be like a Christmas present to me! Thanks!**


	9. Merry Christmas, Ron

**_Disclaimer: All characters that you might recognise belong to the lovely lady who gave us all an early Christmas present by announcing the date in which the next Harry Potter book will be released- Friday 16th July in case you didn't know._**

_**Oh My God. It's the last chapter. I can't believe I've got to the end of his fanfic and I hope you think it's quite good! Enjoy reading it.**_

_**Merry Christmas, Ron**_

"_Sirius? Hello, can you hear me? I want to live again, please?" There was silence in the dark room. "Please, Sirius. Come back to me. I changed my mind!"_

_Ron's heart dropped. He wasn't going to be born again. "No!" he screamed, "No! I wish I was alive again. I don't want to be dead! I want to see my friends and family again! I want to be part of their lives! Noooooooooo!"_

"Ron? RON!" shouted a voice, "wake up, mate!"

Ron opened his eyes blearily. Harry's concerned face swam into view.

"What are you doing on the floor, silly? Are you OK?" pestered Harry,

"You can see me Harry?" gasped Ron, barely comprehending,

"Yes," said a puzzled Harry, "Come on! It's Christmas Day! Time for presents!"

"I'm alive," whispered Ron, barely believing it, "I'M ALIVE! I'VE BEEN BORN!"

"What are you on about, Ron?" said Harry, "Did you have too much Butterbeer last night?"

"No!" exclaimed Ron, "I was feeling really bad last night and I wished upon the star of Sirius to never be born and Sirius came…"

"Sirius came?" croaked Harry,

"_Yes_!" said Ron, "And he said he couldn't grant such a powerful wish unless I was one hundred per cent sure!"

"You spoke to Sirius," said Harry, going white,

"Yes, but he was sort of like a ghost or a memory! We both were! You see Sirius took me to see what would have happened in all our years at Hogwarts if I hadn't been there! And then he showed me my family and you and Hermione celebrating Christmas without me!" said Ron,

"Are you telling the truth?" asked Harry, hoarsely,

"Yes! It's unbelievable, isn't it? I'll go into details later! Oh, I'm so happy to be alive!" Ron cried, and bounced off the floor, where he was laying and gave Harry a bear hug.

"Erm thanks, Ron," said Harry, "did…did Sirius say anything about me?"

"When we were watching you, he seemed so proud of you," said Ron, quietly, "And he considered you his son,"

"Oh," whispered Harry, "Thanks Ron,"

"It's OK," said Ron, stretching, "Say, I'm sure Hermione is waiting for us and it's time to open pressies!"

"Alright!" grinned Harry, "Oh speak of the devil!"

Hermione came bouncing into their dormitory, fully dressed and carrying a large stack of brightly wrapped presents.

"Why is it," she complained, "that you two are always in bed when I come in on Christmas morning?" Her eyes twinkled.

"It's cause we love you coming in and seeing us in our pajamas!" laughed Ron, jumping up and giving Hermione a hug, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," chorused Harry and Hermione,

"Come on then. It's present time. Dig in!" yelled Ron, who was in very high spirits.

The trio spent the morning relaxing and playing Wizards Chess. After a huge lunch of turkey, potatoes, vegetables, Christmas pudding and not forgetting the wizard crackers, they returned to the Gryffindor common room, where surprisingly, Fred and George sat waiting.

"Finally, our dear brother returns from stuffing his face!" announced Fred,

"Fred, George! What are you two doing here?" asked Ron,

"We sought permission from Dumbledore to spend Christmas afternoon with our darling brother and sister!" explained George,

"And he agreed so we decided to have a little party," finished Fred, smiling triumphantly.

"We were hoping that you hadn't drunk all the Butterbeer, we helped Harry smuggle in yesterday," said George,

"Nope," said Harry, "There's over half left. I hid a bit and not all of it was drunk!"

"Excellent," said Fred, rubbing his hands together, "Aha, here's Ginny now!"

Ginny struggled through the portrait hole with her arms full of deflated balloons and wizard crackers. "I got as many as I could carry!" she puffed.

"Thanks," said Fred. He waved his wand and muttered a spell under his breath. Immediately, all the balloons inflated and a third attached themselves to walls and the remaining scattered around the floor. The wizard crackers piled themselves up on a spare table and with a loud clink, many bottles of Butterbeer arrived standing neatly on another spare table. With another quick mutter under George's breath, Christmas music began to play.

"Everybody dance!" hollered Fred, grabbing George and starting to dance manically.

Laughing, Ron pulled Hermione and Harry onto the dance floor (a space emptied of chairs) and they joined in with the dancing. They were then joined by Ginny and soon after by the other eight or so Gryffindors that had stayed over the holiday. The air was full of shrieks and laughter as everybody enjoyed themselves. Everybody drank a lot of Butterbeer and by the end of the evening, some were looking decidedly woozy. Nobody noticed when Ron pulled Hermione away from the party and up into the dormitory.

"What's up?" smiled Hermione,

"I just wanted to ask you something…" stuttered Ron,

"Well go ahead,"

"Erm, Hermione. I'll understand if you say no but… will you go out with me?" asked Ron, flushing.

Hermione stared at him in amazement. Then she started beaming and accepted his offer. "I was wondering how long it would take you!" she giggled.

Ron flushed again but grinned. "Shall we go back down then?" he asked,

"Yes, lets." Hermione held out her hand and Ron took it. Together they walked down the stairs and into the common room. As soon as they reached the bottom, they were bombarded with cat calls and whistles as everybody noticed their clutched hands.

"About flaming time!" boomed Fred, over the noise. "Come on, let's celebrate! Merry Christmas!"

Everybody congratulated Ron and Hermione and soon they returned to their partying. Ron stood at the side watching everybody. He smiled again. "I am so glad that I'd been born. Imagine a world without a Ronald Weasley!"

The End

**So, what did you think? Please review. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everybody reading!**


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